They ask for 500 euros for the cheapest apartments in Lithuania, but still nobody wants to live

I came up with a plan that young families who could work remotely could settle down. Programmers, social media administrators, graphic designers, animators, all kinds of plotters and designers, translators, creators, etc. Stop renting expensive housing in big cities, dear ones. It is better to buy your property for that money, repair it in a modern way, introduce high speed internet, digital TV, start the life of your dreams away from the noise of the city. I offer you a serious plan without conditions. Just buy the cheapest apartments in Lithuania. And all dreams will come true. I have not only prepared this essay on this, but also the program “Orijus ceļšis”, episode 48, watch.

While property prices are rising indecently in Vilnius and setting records every year, the situation is quite different, relatively close, only 134 kilometers away, in the village of Didžiasalis, Ignalina district. Getting there by car takes less than two hours. And it’s worth going, because house prices on the Big Island are stable. So stable that it doesn’t increase a single penny, regardless of global factors. For many years it is the lowest in the country. 350, 400, 500, 700, 800 euros, depending on the state and surface of the house. You can buy up to a month’s rent in Vilnius Naujamiestis. Sounds good, but still not attracting many buyers.

If you set filters on your real estate listing pages to show only the cheapest deals, the first dozen variations will be in the village I mentioned, not even reminiscent of regular provinces. The Great Hall looks like a small city, or even a sleeping area in a large city. In this town, single-family houses are found only on the outskirts, and are based on five-story apartment buildings built in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Great Hall was significantly expanded at that time, because in the village in 1975-1992 there was a large factory for building materials. According to the elder of this area, Antanas Pauliukėnas, the workers were brought not only from all over Lithuania, but also from neighboring Belarus. “At that time up to 4,000 people lived here, and now there are only 1,240 left,” says the old man. He regrets that immediately after the closure of the plant, people rushed in every possible direction. Some moved to large cities, others emigrated to foreign countries. Leaving little by little now, especially the young people. The Great Hall is aging and disappearing … As a result, the heart of the village elder hurts a lot, if only he could, he would do a miracle, create something special that only everyone would want to stay.

The old man says there were several rumors, not a single businessman promised to open factories, all kinds of companies, but promises are still promises. Businesses, for whatever reason, don’t choose the Great Hall. There are several thriving and well-functioning businesses in the area, but it is not enough that all the rural population have a well-paying job.
Well, you still have to praise the old man, which is up to him, he really does. The Great Hall has changed dramatically in recent years. The local gym has been renovated, the kindergarten has been fixed, the streets have been renovated, the village lighting poles have been installed, a basketball court and an outdoor gym have been installed with all the sophisticated equipment. The bazaar has been beautifully renovated, although vendors are missing, but the workplaces are really modern. Maybe it will attract something … We have to wait. And the fences in this town are beautiful, the benches are great.

And now let’s get back to the issue of housing. There were many empty floors in the empty Great Hall. Interestingly, the people who left simply turned them in voluntarily, because if they hadn’t, they would still have to pay the utility bills. For heating, for garbage collection, for home renovation and the like. The old people were afraid of going into debt. Those apartments were assembled by the state, or more precisely, the Property Bank, which manages those objects that do not belong to anyone. The bank, of course, does not need them either, so it constantly carries out the big sale of flats. It’s not officially called that, but the prices closely resemble supermarket stocks.

Thanks to a good person, Tomas Bagdon, representative of Turto bankas, I went into several apartments for sale and saw how everything looks from the inside. Apparently Tom didn’t want to surprise me too much, so he showed me not the cheapest apartments, but the most decent ones that he will try to sell to someone this month.

One of the houses is an elderly grandmother who passed away. According to the laws of inheritance: after the death of a woman, the apartment had to go to her relatives, but they refused to accept it, it is also possible. In this case, the apartment is also under the care of Turto bankas. Interestingly, the relatives, who renounced their grandmother’s legacy, did not even come to look at those two rooms where she spent her entire life. Mudu and Tom, the bank representative, apparently were the first to go looking there. In the closet are grandma’s sweaters, clothes, in the kitchen there are pictures of saints she left behind, a calendar with memorable dates and the events she wrote down. In fact, he even squeezed his heart when he saw it.

And the saddest thing was when I saw a leather wallet on the shelf in the section. Empty, brand new, apparently guarded for a special day, well you know how our grandmothers love, protect and finally never use. That’s what happened here. I inspected the wallet and kept it, it will be for the future buyer of the apartment.

“Turto bankas” leaves everything there, so the new owners will be able to decide for themselves whether to keep the old bed, keep the old things, or throw them away. If you find any hidden treasure, you can probably use it too.

The apartment of a single grandmother costs 700 euros, which is the starting price offered at the Turto bankas auction, which is open to anyone who wants to. If there are many willing, they can increase the quantity, offer their quantity. Tom Bagdon, a spokesman for the bank, doesn’t think the price will rise sharply. “Well maybe twenty euros, maybe fifty, or maybe no one will buy anything,” he says. Then it can be. Then another auction will take place later, where the starting price will be reduced.

Turto bankas has up to 60 apartments in the Great Hall: smaller and larger, beautifully arranged and heavily neglected. I also saw this, from the smell there, it is hardly possible to bear. Mold, rot, dust, abandoned debris – the symphony of all these aromas touches your nose. “The future owner here will already need to repair the roof, not just the walls, because the mold will be obvious,” says a representative from Tom’s bank, seeing what is happening inside.

The apartments for 500-800 euros have more advantages, not just a low price. It turns out that the residents of the Didžiasalis apartment buildings have been able to freely use the land around the village since very ancient times. There they build greenhouses, they set up gardens where they grow fruits, vegetables, berries, everything that can be grown. Well, like in a real town. The settlers will be able to do the same, says the old man and is really looking forward to the newcomers. By the way, those who will be drawn to my proposed purchases will no longer be the first newcomers. From time to time, young families appear in the Great Hall, slowly, but still someone walks away.

In the village there is not only the aforementioned market, but also several grocery stores, various kiosks. However, there is a lack of catering and entertainment. But maybe all of this in front of your eyes, the more people in the Great Hall, the more innovation will be possible here.

Interestingly, there are several completely empty apartment buildings with sliding doors in the Great Room. The five floors are uninhabited, gas, electricity, water, turn on. Empty, calm and quiet in them. But maybe it’s a place for a new nursing home or some special hotel? The calculation is simple: five floors, each with three apartments. A total of fifteen apartments, let’s say 500 euros each, for such a solid purchase is only 7,500 euros. For a serious businessman, here are some jokes. Maybe they will come up with something.

And now just choose one room, two or three that you want. The prices do not vary much, but you will have to pay the utility bills depending on the area purchased. So, think carefully so you don’t have to transfer that apartment to someone else after that.